18S rDNA Illumina analysis of parasites in rats

Parasite diversity has important implications in several research fields including ecology, evolutionary biology and epidemiology. Attempt to conduct a more comprehensive analysis has been limited by the difficult, highly specialised and time-consuming processes involved in parasite identification. In this study, we assessed parasite diversity in wild rats using 18S rDNA-based metagenomics. 18S rDNA PCR products were sequenced using an Illumina MiSeq sequencer and have successfully classified them into several parasite groups. The comparison of the results with those obtained using standard methods including microscopic observation of helminths parasites and PCR amplification/sequencing of 18S rDNA from isolated single worms suggests that this new technique is reliable and useful to investigate parasite diversity.